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Healthy Granola Bars

4.90 from 37 votes

These easy and homemade healthy granola bars are packed with rolled oats, crispy cereal, and mini chocolate chips!

quaker granola bars recipe
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Super Healthy Granola Bars

Back in 2012, when I first posted a recipe for homemade chewy granola bars, I had no idea it would still be so popular five years later, with over 28,000 repins and twelve pages of positive reader reviews.

Even the best recipes can be improved upon, and today I’m sharing my updated version of the classic granola bar recipe, complete with six new flavor variations.

The recipe makes double the amount of the original. I also fixed up the photos and added a few new ones as well. This is one of those recipes that’s withstood the test of time. Five years later, readers are still making it!

Also Try These Vegan Brownies – NO Crazy Ingredients

granola bars recipe

These homemade granola bars have slightly better nutrition facts than store-bought Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, but–more importantly–they have a MUCH shorter and cleaner ingredient list!

View Quaker’s Ingredient List

How To Make The Healthy Granola Bars:

Stir together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl, then stir wet into dry.

Transfer the granola bar mixture to a pan lined with parchment paper, and press down as firmly as you can.

Either bake in a preheated oven for 18 minutes OR simply chill until firm, then slice – there is no baking required!

vegan granola bars
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Healthy Granola Bar Flavors:

  • Chocolate Chip Granola Bars: Stir 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips in with the dry ingredients.
  • Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars: Stir 1/2 cup chopped raisins and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in with the dry ingredients.
  • Nutella Granola Bars: Replace the oil with my Healthy Nutella, and add mini chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts if desired.
  • Vanilla Almond Granola Bars: Stir 1/3 cup finely chopped almonds in with the dry ingredients, and add a few drops pure almond extract to the liquid ingredients.
  • Trail Mix Granola Bars: Stir 1/4 cup each chia seeds, shredded coconut, and chopped, dried cranberries in with the dry ingredients.
  • Peanut Butter Cookie Granola Bars: Replace the oil with 1/4 cup peanut butter or nut butter of choice.
Easy-to-make, healthy granola bars - packed with rolled oats, crispy cereal, & mini chocolate chips! @choccoveredkt
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Edit: and now there is a pumpkin version!

Pin it now to save for laterPin Recipe

Healthy Granola Bars

These easy homemade healthy granola bars are packed with rolled oats, crispy cereal, and mini chocolate chips.
Total Time 18 minutes
Yield 11 – 22 bars
4.9 from 37 votes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup rice crispies (brown, white, or gluten-free)
  • 3/4 cup oat flour, or process oats in a blender to make your own
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut or vegetable oil OR nut butter of choice
  • 1/2 cup raw agave or honey
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar OR 1/8 tsp pure stevia
  • 1/4 cup applesauce or mashed banana
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Variations: see flavor list under the third photo in this post

Instructions

  • Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside. If you wish to bake the bars, preheat oven to 350 F. Stir together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl, then stir wet into dry. Transfer to the prepared pan. Smooth down firmly, using a second sheet of parchment or wax paper. Press down as hard as you can. For no-bake healthy granola bars, chill until firm. (The no-bake option is also firmer if you use coconut oil.) For baked granola bars, cook on the center rack 18 minutes, then press down firmly again. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.
    View Nutrition Facts

Have you made this recipe?

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Published on September 15, 2016

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ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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80 Comments

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  1. Debbie says

    These look great I am going to make the original as well as some of the other variations. We have lots of homemade applesauce. My husband will enjoy them for snacks when he goes in the field combining corn. My preschooler and I will just enjoy them at home and for homeschool field trips.

  2. Kathryn says

    I plan to make a large batch of these this weekend! My son is in kindergarten now and needs a lunch and two snacks everyday. I’m running out of food to send! Would the baked ones hold up better in a lunchbox than the chilled version?

  3. Susan says

    These look really good and I want to try them! I have a question –under “To Make The Healthy Granola Bars” it says to bake for 28 minutes. In the recipe part, it says to bake 18 minutes and then press down firmly. So I’m not sure how long to bake! Thanks.

  4. CookieMonster says

    Made these earlier and they came out amazing!!
    I used one mashed, over ripe banana, coconut oil, shredded coconut and chopped raisins. No sugar but instead a dash of Trader Joe’s dried Stevia (very potent).
    I went for the no bake version.
    Didn’t have any rice crispies cereal left so I actually used GF Cheerios and it worked.
    The bars taste like honey and coconut and melt in your mouth! Very rich. A total winner.

  5. Kristel says

    Do you think I could bake up a few batches and freeze them for later? I get time to make things like this about once a month.

  6. Aruna Samani says

    Hello Katie just came across your recipes they are really good especially eggless. I have to learn to use pin it and try making them. Thank you

  7. Keri says

    So i have these in the oven now, when i did it they seemed thick thou i used 8×8 pan. Wondering if i was suppose to layer like pit parchment then do another stack ? Hopefully it turns our well

  8. Morgan Wild says

    These are so good! I used almond meal flour instead of oat flour & I baked mine. I tried to take a short cut & not use an extra sheet of parchment paper to press them down, so they turned out a little crumbly. Next time I will not skip that step!

    • Jason Sanford says

      You could probably use more oats, but you will have to experiment! Be sure to report back if you do!

  9. Ellen says

    Hi there! These look amazing! I was wondering if I could omit the honey and just add more applesauce? I’m type 2 diabetic and would like to cut back on honey and sugars. Thanks!

  10. dot says

    Hey Katie
    I am going to bake these bars
    Questions?
    1. receipe states 3/4 cup oat flour, or process oats in a blender to make your own (110g) can I use oatmeal and blend into flour or almonds blend and make into flour.

    Also what is the difference between the texture of the bars if using banana or applesauce . Does one bind or hold the bar better than the other? in there a difference in the taste because banana is over powering in some ingredients.
    Please answer I want to make these?
    THanks Dot

  11. curious Dorothy says

    Katie this recipe says

    1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp oat flour (see recipe instructions below for an easy substitution) 55g
    can I use oatmeal and ground into flour or almond flour.

    Also I it said 2 tbsp applesauce (banana would probably work as well, or pumpkin!)
    whats the difference in terms of the binding and taste. will the banana or pumpkin be too over powering.
    Please answer I want to make these ASAP.
    Thanks Curious Dorothy

    • Jason Sanford says

      Yes you can use oats ground into flour. Measure after blending. Either banana or applesauce works well.

    • Jason Sanford says

      I don’t see why not, but we haven’t tried. Be sure to report back if you do!

      Jason (media relations)

  12. Jeanette says

    The recipe turned out delicious as written (with honey), but I would like to use the stevia option to cut down on the sugar and carbs. Is the 1/8 tsp. pure stevia the same as stevia glycerite, or powdered stevia, or something like SweetLeaf liquid stevia? There are so many different kinds…I’m confused! Thanks!

  13. Kristy says

    WOW!! This is so awesome, and flexible and versatile… I’ve made them with several changes, and are perfect every time. Thank you so much for sharing!!

  14. Sonia Thomas says

    Tried this today and the bars tasted so awesome. I added 1/4 th cup desiccated coconut and instead of applesauce I used 1 egg. Thank you so much for this recipe ?

  15. Rachel says

    In an 8×8 pan I got 8 bars out of it. Is that accurate? I might be able to get 12 if cut a bit smaller. Wanting to make sure I get the proper serving size.

  16. Taura says

    Could these be made without the brown sugar or Stevia? I want to cut down on the sugar but I don’t care for Stevia.

  17. Karen Mitchell says

    I made these for my grandkids to have for snacks at our house. I am going going to freeze the ones we don’t eat this week. I am wondering if anyone has tried to sneak any vegetables (such as grated carrot or zucchini) into the recipe or if that ruins them?

  18. Shannon Thompson says

    If I wanted to increase the protein in these with protein powder, is there an ingredient I would replace or how would I include protein powder in the Healthy Granola Bar recipe?

  19. Caroline says

    Splendid recipe!!! They turned out amazing! I did the raisin and oat variation, and then made my own one with lemon zest, white chocolate and shredded coconut on top! Fresh and summery!
    Thank you!

  20. Allie says

    Thank you for this recipe! My son is on the Nemecheck protocol diet so instead of coconut oil we used California extra virgin olive oil and we used maple syrup in place of apple sauce. My son is picky about textures so we blended the rice crispy’s and oats into small pieces. We used Stevia in place of sugar and also used Stevia dark chocolate chips. These turned out better than our store-bought bars. My kids ate like 10 of them.

  21. Jess says

    I made these using honey and banana and would NOT recommend that combo. The honey and banana flavours clash weirdly. I might try maple syrup and applesauce next time, as honey can be quite overpowering. I left out the brown sugar/stevia entirely, as the bars were already very sweet and definitely didn’t need more sweetener! I had to add a little unsweetened cashew milk to the dough, as it looked a little too crumbly, but once baked, the bars seemed to hold together nicely.

  22. Jen says

    These are my go-to granola bars right now! My kids need healthy snacks at school and I’m so tired of buying packaged bars – so I’ve tried different recipes out – this one is the final product! I use Almond Butter (because all the peanut allergies in school), honey and banana and I love them. 🙂 I even pack one for me at work! I tried one with Almond Butter, Applesauce and part honey/part maple syrup. I definitely prefer the honey, banana, almond butter combo. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing this!! It’s part of our weekly routine now.

  23. Virginia says

    Have you ever tried this without the honey? I’m looking for something with a little less sugar but I’m wondering if they would still stay together.

  24. Lydia says

    The flavor is great! I’ve made the original and the cinnamon, raisin. Both have come out crumbly as well. I’ve read other comments about this but no response or suggestions. I used the applesauce instead of banana. Anyone have any suggestions? I’d love to know what I’m doing wrong. They taste so great. For now, we use the crumbles in yogurt as a topping. Thanks, love your recipes!

    • Melanie says

      Did you bake? They do crumble some but baking them works out pretty well. With healthier ingredients, all granola bars will crumble some. I’ve made tons of bar recipes from different places and I’ve just gotten used to some crumbling

  25. Jean says

    Delicious!! I added mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and chopped almonds. Didn’t have oat flour, so I used whole wheat flour.
    I will definitely make this again.

  26. Melanie Hancock says

    We LOVE these! Our favorite is the basic recipe with banana instead of applesauce (although that’s good too in a pinch!). Sometimes I’ll add Lily’s dark chocolate chips. I’ve found that I have to double the recipe to make them last more than half a day lol I love them so much this way that I haven’t tried them any other way 😆

  27. lori says

    These look delicious. Any thoughts about what i can sub for rice krispies as I don’t have in the house during a snow storm!

  28. Janice Gamble says

    5 stars
    These have definitely become a staple in our house–SO much better (and healthier!) than store-bought! My fave way to make these is to use peanut butter, applesauce instead of the banana, chocolate chips, coconut and a mixture of flax, chia and hemp. And I have NEVER added the brown sugar; we feel they are sweet enough using just the honey, especially with the chocolate chips.

  29. Ariel says

    4 stars
    Omg these are SO good, but SO sweet! Is there a way to reduce all sweeteners (without artificial) to make these more toddler friendly? Also.. can these be frozen and how to store if not?

  30. nicole says

    5 stars
    These turned out pretty good!
    I used 1/4 cup honey and 4 large medjool dates with 1 T water for the sweetners. And used half a banana. Also, used PB instead of coconut oil and added in chocolate chips, coconut, and chia seeds.

    I thought i pushed them down really good before baking and tried my best to push them down again after they came out of the oven. They still seemed a little fragile and squishy. Do you think I should have baked them longer? I did exactly 18 minutes.

    I also did not love the banana flavor in them, and am wondering if I could replace the banana with flax or chia egg… but I’m not sure how much “egg” would replace 1/4 cup.

    Next time I make them I may try to process everything in the food processor and just add in the oats, cereal, and mix ins at the end… not sure… would like a way to make them less fragile.

    Thank you for the recipe!!

    • CCK Media Team says

      Hi, unfortunately we have not tried making them with dates substituted for the other 1/4 cup liquid sweetener but would guess that would make the bars stick together less and have more water in general. The recipe lists applesauce as a good option instead of banana if you do not want any banana flavor whatsoever. If you try chia eggs instead, let us know how it goes.

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